Manohar Lal Khattar pats himself on the back,rejects resignation call over violence

Under- fire Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar remains defiant and has rejected the Opposition’s calls for his resignation in the wake of the Dera Sacha Sauda violence, saying his government reacted befittingly to the situation.

“We acted with restraint to execute the court’s orders and we succeeded in achieving our objective,” Khattar said after meeting BJP President Amit Shah reports IANS.

On the demands for his resignation from the chief minister’s post, Khattar said, “It doesn’t matter what they say, but we are satisfied with our actions. Whatever we did was right. Now there is peace in Haryana.”

Khattar also gave a report to Shah on the violence that erupted on 25 August after a CBI court in Panchkula convicted self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of rape and criminal intimidation.

At least 38 people were killed and more than 250 injured in the violence that spread to other parts of Haryana besides Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi.

The Khattar government drew flak from all quarters for mishandling the situation and allegedly giving a long rope to Dera followers who gathered in Panchkula in their thousands.